Posted on 01/29/2012 11:06:19 AM PST by passionfruit
Do the red food color test, the retest every month or so. Don’t risk your health!
Same here. In fact, we had to use plumber's tape to get the spout to stop leaking. I'll DEFINITELY be doing the red-dye test here.
Same problem here. We put a coat of olive oil around it and it seems to have worked.
You’re not the only one with a leaky spout. Their quality control is horrendous. My Royal Berkey was supposed to come with a knob to lift the lid, but they didn’t send it. I made one from a drawer pull. It was supposed to come with plugs for 2 of the holes. It only came with one. Then there’s the whole defective filter thing. It’s pretty maddening!
Yep, I have a Royal Berkey with the same problem. The original set of filters lasted about 3 weeks before falling off the base. I sent an email describing what had happened and they sent me a new set of filters free. I also had to send the “old” filters back in a return box. The replacement filters lasted about a month before they also fell off the base. I now have the Berkey stored in a closet.....
Well, if mind fails the red dye test I’m sending it back in and going Katadyne. I’m organizer of a prepper group here in Central Florida, and a member of three other groups, so I’ll be putting the word out if this doesn’t work out well.
Put the word out anyway. If your people are using Berkeys, they need to know about the defective filters. They need to know about it before the SHTF and they need them.
On threads about defective Berkey filters, I always see one or two people that say they have had theirs for years and never had a problem. They did the red food color test and it is fine.That’s fine. They have older filters, from before the defective ones were made. But a surprisingly large number test and find out that theirs is defective. Sometimes, like me they find out that ALL of their filters are defective.
If they have even one defective filter, that negates the purpose of having a filter in the first place. Especially, if, like me you are using surface water.
Berkey didn’t notify me of the defect, even though I bought my Berkey and 10 filters during the time period that they knew they were turning out defective filters. I was alerted by another poster, and I believe he saved my life. You can save the lives of your friends!
By the way, there are other filters that will fit into your Berkey. Doulton and Aqua Cera filters, manufactured in England will fit in your Berkey. They sell them here, and they are less expensive than Berkey: http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?action=store&page=WaterFilters
By chance, I found an old upright coffee urn at home that we had forgotten about. Took some measurements and then went online and bought some replacement filters for a Berkey from cheaperthandirt.com (search filters). Then I bought a stainless steel salad bar tub and lid that precisely fits into the top of my coffee urn...the bottom of the salad bar tub is somewhat conical so it wedges into the top of the urn very nicely.
I assembled it all and then ran the old food coloring test...it worked like a champ. Four filters and the stainless tub and lid...'bout $100.
I bought mine from “The Berkey Guy” at directive21.com.
One set of filters had a problem (chemical taste in the filtered water) and they PROMPTLY replaced them.
Haven’t had a problem since.
I would suggest if you have a Berkey to USE IT. Make sure it works. You aren’t going to “use it up”.
Also, if you have replacement filters, run a few tanks through those then put them back away. That way, you make sure they work as well.
They either work or they don’t. They don’t work for a while then go bad.
Works like a champ.
Are you using IBC totes for your water collection?
Food grade, yes. Only have one now. We want more. Ultimately our plan is to put them in an insulated “box”. The southern facing side of the box will be covered in clear plex-glass. Let the sun heat it up during the day. From things I’ve read online, it should prevent a hard freeze in all but the coldest of weather. (Our avg lows in winter are about 25degF
You can get some good solar heating tips from Steven Harris at solar1234.com. He recommends just what you’re doing with the south facing solar room to take advantage of the heat gain. You can get his “Sunshine to Dollars” book from your library or his website.
You’ve got a good idea there. The totes need to be painted black for two reasons. One, of course, is to convert the solar energy into heat, and the other is to prevent algae growth.
He has some simple rules of thumb. Solar energy should be used for heating air first, then water for excess heat storage.
Actually, they do work for a while and go bad. That is why you need to retest regularly.
The glue doesn’t adhere well to the plastic. I have read a number of accounts from people who tested and had filters that passed. Then later they tested, and filters that previously passed, failed.
My personal theory is that the adhesive that they use shrinks as it ages, and causes it to pull away from the plastic base. I’m not a scientist, and I don’t know what the adhesive is that they use, so I can’t prove it. However it would explain the latest round of filter failures.
This is a thread that I started on the Survival & Emergency Preparedness forum at Homesteading Today’s website. On Post #11, the poster here describes filters failing, that had previously passed the red food color test. http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=428442
Any reason you specifically asked about the IBC Totes?
Just interested in others’ experience with using them for water capture/storage/distribution.
They might be a little big for your solarium/heat storage use, though.
Check this out: solar horse tank
Could you please add me to your prepper ping list?
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